Ofelia Gomez and her husband, Jay Gomez came to the United States from Columbia in 1985. They arrived in California in 1995 and soon after opened Ofelia’s Kitchen. Jay worked for many years in the Silicon Valley until an economic downturn took his job, and he now happily spends more time at the restaurant. The Gomez’s decided to open the restaurant after being encouraged by Ofelia’s friends to share her amazing cooking abilities, and to instill the value of hard work and joy of healthy cooking in their children, Jennifer and Alexander.

Their daughter, Jennifer, is a medic in the U.S. Army and has served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Their son Alexander graduated from the University of California at San Diego with a degree in International Studies. Alex now works for the UCSD Medical Clinic as a computer database manager.

Ofelia’s serves a variety of salads and sandwiches including chicken, tuna and crab salad, artichoke, eggplant, pastrami and vegetarian meatloaf. Their sandwiches are all served on fresh bread that is baked daily and topped with items like lettuce, sprouts, cucumber and tomatoes. The restaurant offers a variety of smoothies such as a delectable blackberry-banana smoothie and an invigorating green-tea frappe. They make delicious homemade soups, most of which are vegetarian, and include pumpkin, minestrone, chicken noodle, white bean and broccoli.

About Me

I too was inspired and lucky enough to be able to follow my passion, nutrition. I returned to school after being laid off from my high tech job as well, in the same economic downturn that changed Jay’s path. I graduated in 2006 from the University of California at Davis with a Bachelor of Science degree in Clinical Nutrition. I am now a Health educator, author and maintain a private nutrition consulting practice. Ours are stories of making lemon-aide out of lemons- literally!

The Collaboration

I recently had the chance to work with Ofelia’s to analyze the nutritional content of their recipes. During the process, I tasted many of their handcrafted creations and was continually impressed with the quality and taste. I was inspired by the fresh ingredients—and love—they incorporate into every one of their dishes.

I will be offering nutrition talks and signing my new book A Nutrition Revolution: Uncover the Mysteries of Nutrition at Ofelia’s soon. During the presentations Ofelia will offer tastings of some of their fabulous food. Look for the schedule at Ofelia’s and on my website.

If you have a chance in the meantime, do visit Ofelia’s for a healthy, heart-warming meal. And we hope to see you at the talk and tastings!

Ofelia’s is located on Hillcrest Avenue in Livermore off of East Avenue. They are open Monday through Friday from 10:30-5:30, and Saturday from 11-4:30. You can visit them online at: http://ofeliaskitchen.com.

Beth Kahn is a Dietitian, educator, and author of A Nutrition Revolution: Uncover the Mysteries of Nutrition. For more information or to connect with Beth visit: anutritionrevolution.com.